Focused on the Magic : Pirates of The Caribbean Attraction ~ Photo Tips

Yo Ho! Yo Ho! It’s a pirates life for me! ! Ahoy and welcome aboard! Arrrrgh, so we're talkin' pirates today. I love the POTC movies and the ride! Here are a few Pirates of The Caribbean (POTC) ride picture takin' tips.. me hardies, Yo Ho!

POTC is considered one of the "dark" rides and not only because it's scary to young ones. The lighting is low. So low you can't see your hand in front of you. That adds to the Disney magic but makes it a challenge to take well exposed pics unless you're prepared.

Here are a few simple tips I’ve discovered by trial and error (mostly error) for picture taking on The Pirates of the Caribbean ride or any low light ride on your Disney adventures.

For DSLRs:

Use your fastest prime lens. I use a Sigma 1.4, 30mm or a Nikon 50mm f1.2. Set it to F 1.8 or as wide as you can go. These were taken with the Sigma at f 1.4

Set your ISO to at least 1600. I used 2000 for most of these pics. ISO 3200 or higher is best if your camera can do it without too much noise.

Shoot RAW, that way you can take care of all the noise in post processing.

I like to shoot in Manual. If you're not comfortable in manual try Aperture Priority or AV.

Don't forget to check your batteries and memory card before the ride. Fumbling around to change batteries or cards on a dark ride is not fun. You'll not only miss shots but precious memories.

Shoot shoot shoot. You can always edit them out later.

If your camera doesn’t allow for adjustments or you don't want to venture off the Program mode, there are plenty of shots you can get.

As you enter look up at the banner painted on the wall over the door. It’s well lit day and night.

The queues offer plenty of opportunities for shots of Hidden Mickeys and waiting in line candid shots. On the ride: The jail scene is a little brighter than the others and the wench auction.
If you’re really lucky and it’s crowded the boat might stop long enough for you to fire off a few shots while the boat is not moving.

The gift shop as you exit the ride is not only full of pirate bounty but it's filled with photo opportunities with the props and scenes.

See the Hidden Mickey's in my self portrait?

Capturing Davy Jones' hologram image is always a challenge. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. The boat is moving, the lighting is very low and of course you all know ....no-flash-photography.

Blurry and hard to make out what that is...yes, it's ok with me because it brings back happy memories of my trip whenever I look at it. I'll just have to go back and ride it a few more times;)

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I hope these tips help you capture a few treasured photo memories on your next trip!